26/10/2026
“Children’s hospices are often the first place you meet other families who truly understand. In hospital, you’re focused on crisis. At home, you’re isolated. Baby groups don’t work when your child has complex medical needs. But at the hospice, during respite days and community events, there’s space to talk, to connect, to realise you’re not alone.”
When Dan McEvoy’s daughter Elisa was diagnosed with complex medical needs as a toddler, he says hospice care became “a vital part of our family’s support structure,” right from diagnosis until Elisa's death aged 9, and beyond.
Dan has since become a passionate advocate for the value of children’s palliative care. But three years on from Elisa’s death, access to that care remains inconsistent, inequitable and financially fragile.
To shape a better future for children’s palliative care, we’re asking families with experience of caring for a child with serious illness, alongside professionals, services, charities, academics and policymakers, to take a few moments to fill in our survey.
💜 Our survey closes one week today - Monday 2 November at 11.59pm. Head to the link in the comments to add your voice.
